May Plantings!

contributed by Allen Reed and Cathy Ruland

Wow, will this rain continue all through May? “Normal rain fall” for our area is 5”, yet we have gotten almost 8” in April and 2” last night, May 1st. The rain did halt long enough for rainbows to form over The Bay and right about dusk – the double rainbow was simply amazing and I was half tempted to zip across the bridge to the base of the rainbow in search of a leprechaun and a pot of gold coins. Well, fantasy aside, I am grateful that the storms are trending more west to east this year and not just streaming over us, from south to north. For the most parts, the plants are happy and I am fortunate because our yard and gardens are not completely saturated - the French drains are doing their job to drain the gardens that we want drained and the rains are filling the pond gardens where the irises are relishing in damp to ponding soil beds, and these purple and yellow irises are true hallmarks of Spring. They go hand in hand with the rise in mosquito populations and gnats (click here or see the May home page to learn how to make an easy pesticide-free mosquito trap!), on the bad side, and the rising of trout to artificial top waters and plastics on the good side. Coupling fresh fish with the winter vegies, fresh salads of carrots, beets and beet greens, fresh basil and the first batch of yellow squash makes for a delightful meal and a welcome transition into the summer gardening season. The summer veggies of tomatoes and eggplant are doing well, flowering and putting on the first fruit. This is really exciting to see – I am looking forward to the first Caprese salad to don our table. It will probably be comprised of Ethiopian Black tomatoes, fresh basil, balsamic vinaigrette and Country Girl’s Mozzarella. This is still an optimal time to put in a vegetable garden, provided the soil isn’t saturated, and start your own fresh tomatoes, basil and other herbs, squash, eggplants, cucumbers and whatever else you have a desire to put on your table. Clearly, the fresh flavor of garden-grown vegetables and herbs wins the taste (and health) competition in all categories. Plus, after the initial investment, these tasty treats are nearly free and you don’t have to run to the store to get them – that is fine for me. For garden projects, this is a great time of year to set up a trellis for a bougainvillea, cucuzza squash (click here to listen to Louis Prima’s ode to cucuzza!), cucumbers or lufa sponge and other upwardly mobile plants – the provide color, food, shade and a nice offset from the neighbors. The habitat for local and migratory birds, rabbits and squirrels, will bring additional entertainment and pleasure to your outdoor living areas. In this arena, I am quite entertained by the beauty of many of the birds, as well as their antics. So, we have also enjoyed a plethora of interesting birds from the standard mockingbirds, blue jays, red birds, red headed woodpeckers and doves to the more seasonal ruby-throated hummingbirds, yellow rumped warblers, orioles, indigo buntings, and yellow warbler have made their way to the River Birch and Bottlebrush bushes, while the standard birds make off with most of my mulberry crop. We've also spotted peregrine falcons, pileated woodpeckers and swallow-tail kites in the neighborhood! All for now, enjoy the spring.